Congress

Todd Blanche doesn’t rule out using new settlement account to pay out Jan. 6 rioters

Published

5 months ago

May 19, 2026

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is not ruling out making payments to those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as part of the Justice Department’s new, $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”

“Anybody can apply,” Blanche said during a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday morning in response to a question from Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.).

“The commissioners will set rules I’m sure,” Blanche continued. “That’s not for me to set. That’s for the commissioners, and whether an individual, an Oathkeeper as you just mentioned, applies for compensation … anybody in this country can apply.”

These comments could confirm critics’ worst fears about the rationale behind the account, which the Justice Department unveiled Monday to grant funds to individuals deemed targets of “weaponization and lawfare.”

It came about as the result of a settlement with President Donald Trump, where he agreed to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax information in exchange for the establishment of such a fund.

Democrats quickly accused the administration of creating a slush fund intended to reward the president’s allies, including potentially those participated in the Jan. 6 riots.

“That is pure theft of public funds, and rewarding individuals who committed crimes is obscene,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Senate appropriations subcommittee overseeing the DOJ’s budget. “Every American can see through this illegal, corrupt, self-dealing scheme.”

While Blanche was invited to testify on his budget request Tuesday, he quickly was in the position of having to defend and explain the new fund to members of both parties.

He faced tough questions from Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), who wanted to know whether payouts would be publicly reported. She appeared skeptical about oversight of the fund, challenging Blanche’s suggestion that a commission the Justice Department plans to set up would be impartial.

Blanche said the fund, though “unusual,” was “not unprecedented.” He emphasized there would be “a process that you all will get information, and there’s a FOIA process. So I very much anticipate that the claims that are awarded — the basis and the amount — will for sure be made public along the way.”

The written terms of the settlement agreement state that these reports would, in fact, be “confidential,” but Blanche further sought to reassure lawmakers by explaining that the weaponization fund would accept claims beyond those stemming from alleged abuses under the Biden administration.

“There’s no limitation on the claims,” he said.

Congress

Democrats are eyeing a John Fetterman challenge. Chris Deluzio is already laying the groundwork.

Published

1 minute ago

October 22, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

BEAVER FALLS, Pennsylvania — At a packed town hall in a deep-red Pennsylvania county, Tod Marion stood up to ask Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio about his plans to make Congress an institution that no longer “embarrassed” him — one that might even make him “proud again.”

Deluzio, a 42-year-old father of four, called it a “big question” and launched into a lengthy speech about Washington’s failures to offer the younger generation the same social mobility afforded to older Americans like Marion, who identified himself as a husband of nearly 50 years and a believer in “liberty and justice for all.”

“I don’t just have small dreams for this country … and that requires us to, when we need to, to compromise and work together,” Deluzio said. “I stand my ground on core values, and where I’ve got to work with Republicans and House members and senators on delivering project funding, I do that. I think you need a representative who can do both of those things.”

It might as well have been a test run of his stump speech if Deluzio follows through on strong hints he’ll run for Senate in 2028 — against fellow Democratic incumbent John Fetterman, who he suggests has betrayed some of those core values.

“If I’m going to do it, I’m doing it to win, and I’m going to win,” Deluzio said in an interview with Blue Light News over a plate of greens and beans — a Pittsburgh staple — followed by pumpkin ravioli at Sarafino’s Restaurant, which he’s patronized since he was a teenager. He said he’s giving the matter “serious thought” and won’t make a decision until after the midterms.

Deluzio speaks during a town hall in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 17.

Deluzio campaigned with Fetterman in 2022, when both were seeking election to Congress. But he’s since grown more vocal in his criticism of the senator and has been essentially laying the groundwork for a challenge for months — taunting Fetterman in media interviews and social media posts, hammering him over and over again in particular for his embrace of President Donald Trump’s Iran war.

He has slammed Fetterman for his unwavering support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and accused him of not being up to the job of representing the fifth-largest state. As a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who served in Iraq, Deluzio said Fetterman’s endorsement of the war in Iran was the breaking point.

“We have a lot of pretty serious responsibilities, but deciding when and whether to send Americans to fight is one of the most solemn responsibilities we have, and he treats it like a video game,” Deluzio said.

Deluzio also called out Fetterman for other actions he said are “actively undermining” Democratic efforts in a crucial election year.

“He spoke at that [GOP midterm] convention. He’s on right-wing news constantly bashing the Democrats,” Deluzio said. “Democratic committee people, candidates, you name it — they’re bringing up on their own how mad they are at this guy.”

Deluzio is casting himself as someone who not only has a commitment to serve but a message that can resonate statewide. He’s touting his efforts to campaign for Democrats across the state while dishing out significant cash to help them get elected — more than $1.5 million, he said, and “a lot of that in Pennsylvania.”

“I look at the job I have in the Congress to represent the place that made me, represent three quarters of a million people. I don’t know, man — I still pinch myself that I get to do that,” he continued. “I cannot imagine somebody being a senator and just fucking blowing off the job, and you don’t do a public event for nearly a year. … That’s different than disagreements on votes.”

Deluzio is not the only Democrat weighing a primary challenge against Fetterman; others could include Philadelphia Rep. Brendan Boyle or Rep. Summer Lee, a Pittsburgh progressive. Another potential contender is Conor Lamb, a former House member whose failed primary campaign against Fetterman in 2022 paved the way for Deluzio’s election to the House that same year.

But Mike Mikus, a longtime Democratic operative in the state, said in an interview Deluzio could have a unique edge: Trump won Pennsylvania in 2024 as well as Beaver County, the latter by almost 60%. In Beaver County that same year, Deluzio outperformed Democrats running at the top of both presidential and Senate tickets. He also represents part of Allegheny County, which trends blue.

“The way you win statewide in Pennsylvania is, run up big numbers in the deep blue areas — Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Harrisburg — but you have to hit a baseline in the red counties. That’s how Biden won Pennsylvania,” Mikus said. “Deluzio has proven that he has that ability, because he’s done it in Beaver County.”

Fetterman, who has not announced whether he plans to run for reelection, did not respond to a request for comment about his intentions for 2028 or Deluzio’s criticisms.

Lamb declined to comment on his plans, while Boyle, in a statement, said he planned to “sit down and make a decision about 2028 based on where I think I can have the biggest impact on policy.” A spokesperson for Lee said her focus right now is entirely on delivering for her district.

Deluzio espouses a brand of lunch-pail, pro-labor politics that is similar to what Fetterman ran on in 2022. He touts his “vision to reindustrialize this country,” starting with the region he represents that was once anchored by the now-flailing steel industry.

“A lot of my district, especially Beaver County, lived through the consequences of really lousy, shitty trade deals that shipped away good manufacturing jobs for the promise of cheaper goods,” he said, adding that support for union work is “a big part of where the Democratic Party was and should be.”

He’s especially proud of securing an $184 million earmark to modernize the Montgomery Locks and Dam along the Ohio River, which is estimated to generate thousands of union jobs while bringing more than $100 million in annual economic growth to the region.

Deluzio also talks up his rail safety bill, which he introduced in response to the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio — just over the state line from Beaver County. In a win for unions, the legislation would require two people to operate a freight train, while also imposing new regulations for carrying particular hazardous materials. Trump endorsed the bill in May, and it could be signed into law as part of a bipartisan surface transportation package.

A railroad crossing is seen in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. Deluzio’s district is covered in railroad tracks, including those run by Norfolk Southern, the company responsible for the 2023 toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which affected Beaver County.

He garnered national headlines last year when he joined five fellow congressional Democrats with military and intelligence backgrounds in filming a video warning military personnel not to follow illegal orders from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Trump suggested the group be sentenced to death.

“Of course it was jarring,” Deluzio said of Trump’s response. “But not for a second did this guy intimidate me. Not for a second deter me from the duty that I was elected in this job to do.”

After he returned from Iraq in 2010, Deluzio attended and graduated from Georgetown Law, clerked for a federal judge and worked as a voting rights attorney at the Brennan Center for Justice. He then moved back to Pennsylvania in 2020 and worked on voting rights and election security at the University of Pittsburgh.

Marion, the constituent who asked Deluzio about congressional dysfunction at the Beaver Falls event, gave Deluzio credit for holding town halls while other lawmakers avoid public forums where they might get yelled at by voters, or worse.

“A lot of these guys aren’t really showing up,” said the registered Democrat from nearby Brighton Township.

Deluzio celebrates the opening of Etna Center for Community on Oct. 17. He secured $3 million in federal funds for the library and community center.

In between bites back at Sarafino’s, Deluzio spoke more about why he’d want to be in the Senate. The opportunity to vet federal judicial nominees is a “big deal,” he said, as is the chance to vote on treaties and shape the Cabinet — especially if Democrats win back the White House in 2028.

“Look, it’s a bigger perch to shape domestic policy … But ultimately, it’s about people around here. I’m proud of how much money I bring home,” he said. “I think I’ve led all House Democrats this year. I would do more of that if I were a senator.”

Congress

Scalise heads to Florida to boost several GOP candidates

Published

18 hours ago

October 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is heading to Florida to boost a raft of Republicans as the House GOP campaign arm launches new spending across the ruby-red state.

Republicans are working to ensure they prevail in a series of tight Florida races after they redrew several districts in their favor. Several GOP incumbents have warned the party needs to do more to help put out fires across these areas. Scalise is just the latest Republican leader who is looking to shore up candidates in once-thought-to-be-safe red territory.

Scalise will hold a GOTV rally Thursday with Republican Dan Green who is challenging Democratic Rep. Darren Soto in central Florida’s 9th District, according to an invite obtained by Blue Light News. Soto should be toast from the GOP redistricting effort, but he’s still hauling in significant fundraising and Democrats say their internal polling shows a tight race.

Over on the Gulf Coast, the National Republican Congressional Committee is also launching its first coordinated ad spending for Rep. Anna Paulina Luna on Wednesday. House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, GOP governor nominee Rep. Byron Donalds and Sen. Ashley Moody, who is also up for reelection, are appearing at a Saturday rally with Luna.

President Donald Trump won Luna’s district by 13 points and Democrats have tried and failed to target her before. But Republicans are warning the headwinds are stronger this year and forcing a tighter than expected race.

Republicans are also working to shore up key seats in South Florida. Scalise will be with GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar in the Miami area Friday, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter, granted anonymity to share not yet public details. Salazar has raised alarm about Republican erosion with Hispanic voters in his district and other states over the Trump administration’s mass deportations.

Scalise will boost Ryan Elijah, the Republican who beat scandal-ridden Rep. Cory Mills in the primary in Florida’s 7th District, according to another person with direct knowledge of the matter, granted anonymity to speak candidly. The party feels better about the seat in recent weeks, especially more than they would have if Mills had won the GOP nomination.

The House Majority Leader will also hold events with Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast and Rep. Gus Bilirakis, according to the person.

Congress

Capitol agenda: The unknowns of a Sherrod Brown return

Published

24 hours ago

October 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Democrats may be rooting for Sherrod Brown’s comeback, but they are not exactly prepared for what’d happen next.

If Brown wins on Election Day, Democrats likely face an uncomfortable choice: break longstanding party rules to restore his seniority on powerful committees like Banking, Agriculture and Finance or potentially make him start over at the bottom.

Complicating the issue: Brown will immediately need to prepare for a grueling re-election fight in 2028 and his campaign could greatly benefit from two years with a high-profile gavel. That’s because this midterm is Ohio’s special election where voters are selecting a senator to serve out the remainder of Vice President JD Vance‘s term.

Brown’s post, therefore, may not only deeply impact Democrats’ policy agenda but could also play a key role in the party’s success in winning the battleground seat in 2028.

Some members are already suggesting the party should try to find a middle ground.

“Some accommodation that recognizes he would not be a rank freshman would make sense. But that’s distinct from handing him back a leadership role at Banking,” said Sen. Chris Coons.

The Ohio Democrat served as the top Democrat on the Banking panel for a decade. He was also a longtime member of Finance as well as Agriculture, where he would also be the most senior member if his previous service counted.

To give Brown a gavel on Agriculture or Banking could set up clashes with the Democrats now expected to lead their party on the panels: Sens. Michael Bennet and Elizabeth Warren, respectively.

It would also break Senate Democrats’ caucus rules, and precedent is not on Brown’s side when it comes to making exceptions.

Still, aides and lobbyists around the panels expect Democrats will be eager to give Brown some sort of perch.

Those close to him have been encouraging him to seek the Agriculture gavel. It’d allow him to deliver valuable policy wins for Ohio’s rural areas, influence the farm bill if it gets punted to next year and help guide the direction of cryptocurrency regulation.

Another possibility that avoids an intraparty clash: hand Brown a seat on Appropriations, which could potentially give him a subcommittee gavel and federal funding clout.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has avoided any firm commitments on Brown’s seniority, saying last month when asked: “Let’s win back the Senate first.”

What else we’re watching:

— OMAR RAID RAISES QUESTIONS FOR GOP: House Republicans — including Majority Whip Tom Emmer — have publicly cheered on the Trump administration’s investigation of GOP boogeyman Rep. Ilhan Omar. But the raid raises thorny questions for GOP leaders about how aggressively Congress wants to defend itself — regardless of party — from encroaching federal prosecutors. Lawmakers’ work communications are protected from prosecutors’ scrutiny, with few exceptions, under the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause. That draws into question whether the emails, texts, and materials on Omar’s phone, which was seized in the raid, could legally be reviewed by Trump officials. So far, Speaker Mike Johnson has yet to weigh in on how the House’s legal team may defend Omar.

— TRUMP’S TRICKY FARM MONEY PROMISE: Trump’s move Monday to turn out GOP voters by promising to send farmers $8 billion in taxpayer money is already facing a reality check. The internal USDA taxpayer-funded account Trump is tapping doesn’t actually have enough money in it right now to make the payments, meaning Congress will have to approve new funds or the administration will have to take it from another program, according to three Trump officials granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. Plus, farmers wouldn’t receive the payments until late November or early December at the earliest — well past Election Day, according to three people close to the plans.

Jasper Goodman, Grace Yarrow, Kyle Cheney and Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.